One of the most intriguing games on the Week 12 college football slate pits the Kansas Jayhawks against the BYU Cougars. Check out our betting preview for this iconic game below.
Best of luck with all of your Week 12 college football action. Let's break this game down piece by piece.
Even with Kansas being just 3-6 on the year, oddsmakers are expecting a tight game in Provo on Saturday night. The line opened at BYU -3.5, but sharp action has pushed that line down to BYU -3. The Cougars are a perfect 9-0, but they've won by the skin of their teeth lately.
There hasn't been a ton of interest in this game total. The number opened up at 55.5 on Sunday afternoon and that's where most online sportsbooks still have it priced. There are a couple of prominent shops in the market that are dealing 56, so search for those if you're interested in betting on the Under!
The bye week came at just the right time for Kansas. They lost a heartbreaker to archrival Kansas State just before getting some much-needed time away from the field. The reset obviously worked, as they upset the Iowa State Cyclones last Saturday.
This Kansas offense doesn't get much pub, but they're one of the best units in the nation. This is especially true when it comes to running the ball. The Jayhawks rank a solid 14th in yards per rush, mainly thanks to Jalon Daniels and Devin Neal.
The Achilles heel of this Kansas team in 2024 has been their defense. They've struggled at times to defend both the run and the pass, so that'll be a concern against BYU on the road. Even with their many holes, KU does a solid job of rushing the passer (35th in sack rate).
The Cougars have enjoyed a perfect season so far and it's mainly due to their balanced offense. Jake Retzlaff has thrown for 2,091 yards and 18 TDs so far this season. LJ Martin has done an admirable job of running the ball to take some heat off of Retzlaff at times.
BYU struggles against the run, but their secondary is one of the nation's best. The Coogs rank 2nd in yards per pass allowed and 21st in passing yards allowed per game. Jakob Robinson leads the team with 3 interceptions, and he'll be looking to pick off Daniels in this one.
We rode Kansas to the cash-out window last week and I'm going back to the well with them against another ranked team in Week 12. As long as you can get the +3, I'm fine with playing this one. I really think Kansas will shock the world and hand BYU its first loss of the season.
The Jayhawks have a lot of holes, but I love their running game and how it matches up against BYU's lack of rush defense. I'm expecting Daniels and Neal to pick up lots of critical 3rd downs on their way to a surprising win.
Lastly, the spot favors Kansas in a big way. BYU is coming off a hard-fought, emotional win over their archrival Utah on the road. They may be a bit drained, which would only help our case for Kansas. Give me Rock Chalk Jayhawk plus the points!